Hatck cover controlling and sealing device



Oct. 6, 1936. v. H. HARBERT HATCH COVER CONTROLLING AND SEALING DEVICEFiled May 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l w w g1 1 6 x 5% w 2 4 I a 2 J O P /1fi/ H j 4 I 0 4 a 1 1 fl /fl \P ame mm Awe Oct. 6, 1936. v. H. HARBERTHATCH COVER CONTROLLING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed May 25, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 @ctentedl @cto d W36 Victor I81. matrices-t, (Chiccgo,fill, sesiigreor to liiiii= nois lltsiiwoy Euuipment @ompeny, @hicnse,Eli, n corporotion oi? illinoic Application May 25, with, Eerinll No.$333M 4i @Euimus.

My invention reletes to to device especially intended for use inconnection. with the hatch cover and plug of refrigerator cars and hesfor its object the provision of or construction whereby the cover withits attached plug will be forced into completely closed position whenthe device is moved into sealing position; the device also involvingmenus whereby the cover may be held in r, number or" ventilatingpositions and whereby the cover and sold device may be sealed in closedposition invention also, has for an object the provision. e12 astructure whereby movement of the device will sutomsticully force thehatch cover upwardly and thereby move the plug out or" its wedgedposition in the hutch; while at the some time movement of the hatchcover and plug closed position. without also bringing said. device intooperative relation with the hatch cover is The ooiects enumerated aswell. as other oh iects and advantages will. be more fully corn=prehendcol from the following detailed closer" v tion or theaccompanying drawings, whereinz Figure is plan view cine hutch. cover inclosed position. and provided with my improved device.

Figure is s, sectional elevation oi the hatch with the cover and plug inclosed position and with my controlling device in elevation and in coverlocking position.

Figure 3 is a. sectional elevation illustrating the cover portly openand my device holding the cover in ventilating position.

V Figure t is s similar view showing the cover in complete open positionand my improved con trolling device in extreme dissociated position;while the automatic associating relation between the cover mechanism andthe operating portion of the device is shown in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the opcrating or lever portionof the device.

Figure 61s a, detail perspective view of the cover carrying mechanism ofthe device.

My invention contemplates means whereby the movement of a, refrigeratorcar hatch cover and its associated plug will be forced to completeclosed position when the device is moved toward sealing position andwhereby the cover and plug will be moved upwardly out of the hatch whenthe device is moved toward releasing position thereby obviating theusual practice of battering or prying the cover plug" in order torelease it from its more or less wedged position in the hatch.

(ill. th -7) In the particular exempliiicution oi the invention, a hatchor" a. refrigerutor csr is shown, with the hatch timbers iii extendingslightly above the car-root and provided with the usual tapered innersurfaces as shown so as to eficct on air 5 tight sealing relation withthe tapered sides of the closure plug it which is firmly secured to thelower side of the cover H2 The cover it is usually hingedly connectedstone side to the cor roof by suitable hinges as st (13 so us to oil thecover with its plug to swing upwardly uwsr from the hatch as shown inFigure The cover it may be provided at its hinged side with e,supporting strep or breciret as ct i 2- whereby the cover will be heldin complete open position as shown in ll'lgm'e l,

Secured on top or the cover it the opposite to that on which the hingesare located and preferably at the transverse medium line a. reel:forming bracket iii which consists oi? as, a; horizontally disposedpiste portion it o! our suitable shape and epertured to permit thehreehct to riveted or otherwise firmly'secured to the cover Extendingupwardly are it poll of lobes or curs il arranged parallel with suchother and in spaced relation and these lobes ot the forward end of theplate of the bracket mi-minute vertically disposed toothed orrsck-iorming por tions it it, see Figure ii. 3@

When the bracket it is secured to the cover it, the rack portions (18,iii are arranged to loop the forward edge oi the cover and depends1igiit- 1 1y therebenesth and slightly forward of the css ing about thehatch opening as shown in Figure 2.

The upwardly sloping lobes ii are opertured to receive the U-shape pinit whose one side or leg is slightly longer than the other as can beseen in Figure 1, and this long leg at the end is. provided with a,radially or laterally disposed lip 2b which acts as a stop when theU-pin is in normal position. In order to enable insertion of the U-pin,one of the apertures in the lobes ii is enlarged in the nature of o.slot for the possage of the end of the pin with thelip 2W. That is tosay, the openings 25 at tli base of each lobe ii are elongated orslottfed; the one in the approaching side of the brccket having the slotextend ins downward direction while the slot in the opposite sideextends upward? The ion 50 adjacent the upper end the lobe and thebracket then riveted or otherwise secured in place.

It is apparent that after the bracket is secured in place it isimpossible to swing the U-pin through a sufllcient are where the lip 2|would register with the slot portion of the aperture and hence completewithdrawal of the long leg of the U-pin is impossible. Onfthe otherhand, withdrawal of the pin until the lip 23 strikes the lobe throughwhich it was initially inserted permits the short leg of the pin toclearthe other lobe and also the space between thetwo lobes so as to leavethis space free for the reception of the operating lever 22.

The operating lever- 22 is of predetermined length and is preferablyformed with a plurality of. suitably spaced bosses 23 on what may betermed its lower side: and for the purpose of strength these bosses areshown connected by smallribs as at 24 of less width than that of I thebosses. These bosses 23 are apertured at 25 and the bosses are adaptedto ilt between the lobes ll of bracket member l6, with the opening 23 ofa boss 23-registering'with the apertures 2i adjacent the topsof lobes l1and hence to receiv the short leg or side of the U-pin l3.

One end of lever 22 is provided with a toothed portion or segmental gear23 which also constitutes the pivotal point of the lever. The teeth ofthe segmental gear 23 are adapted to mesh with the teeth of the rackportions II, as the gear is of sunlcient width to mesh with bothportions ot the rack II. The rear end tooth 21 of the segmental gear 23is made arcuate to curve away from the other teeth, namely toward therear end of thelever and to extend somewhat beyond the plane of thepivotal point 23 of the lever.

The roof of the car adjacent the hatch frame is provided with a suitablebifurcated bracket 2! to receive the gear-end of the lever therein andto pivotally secure the lever in place by the pivot pin 23. thuspermitting the lever to swing through the arc of a vertically disposedcircle. I

As isapparent from the construction. when the I hatch cgver is in closedposition the teeth of rack is will mesh with. the teeth of the segmentalgear of the lever 22, as shown in Figure 2, while the 'arcuatetooth 21will be disposed beneath the pivot point of the' lever between thebifurcations of bracket 20 and hence an operative relation between thehatch closure and the lever is main--v tained as long as the hatchclosure is in closed position as shown in Figure 2. .With this ar-'rangement movement of lever 22 downwardly across the top of the hatchclosure or cover i2 will force the plug II and the cover into snugair-tight relation with the hatch timbers II and usual surrounding framethrough the action of the segmental gear on the rack ll of the'bracketsecured to the cover. Such downward movement of the lever will move theboss at the pivoted end of the lever between the'lobes ll of bracket IIand position the-aperture of the boss in register with those in theupper ends of the lobes and permit the short leg of the U-pin to passthrough the registering holes and thus enable the closure to be sealedin closed position by use of the usual car sealing medium which may beinserted through suitable transverse slots in both legs of theU-pinand-which will prevent awithdrawal movement of the U-pin from thelocking position shown in Figure 1.

The ribs 24, between the bosses 23 of lever 22,

end and the next adjacent boss, are made of less width as heretoforestated to r mit the ribs to extend across the long leg of the U-pin whenthelever is disposed across the top of the coyer and to permit theaperture of the lever-boss to come into register with the apertures inthe upper ends of the lobes ll of the rack-bracket on the cover.

When it is desired to open the hatch, the seal is broken and the U-pinmoved transversely of the lever to a position where its short leg willbe withdrawn from the hole in the boss of the lever. The lever 22 isthen swung upwardly and lifts the cover and plug through the action ofthe segmental gear on the rack-bracket secured to the cover and thusobviates the necslsity of prying the cover-plug loose by means of a baras heretofore hasbeen' necessary, and which has frequently resulted indamage to the cover and plug; the lever providing the necessary leverageor power for easily and positively raising the cover and plug.

. If a complete opening of the is to be had as shown in full lines inFigure 4, after the lever has been swung sumciently to clear the therack II which protrudes beyond the end of the cover a}- shown in dottedlines in Figure 4.

Asaresult,itisimpossibletodropthecoverto closed position withoutautomatically inducing ameshing relation between therack I3 andthe,

se'gmental-gear or pinion 23, because the lower-endsoftherackportionsl3willengagetheupwardly presented curved surfaceof the arcuate tooth 21 and forcesvthe lower teeth of portions i3 toridealongthe areuatesurfaceoftoothfland into thesocketbetweenthearcuatetooth2l and theadiacenttoothofthesegmental gearorpinion23 and consequently automatically bringing the teethoftherackandofthesegmentalgear into mesh with each other.

It is also apparentfrom the dottedline snowinginFigure4,thatthehatchclosurecannotdrop asshownindottedlinesinl 'igured.

By providing the lever with a plurality ofspacedandaperturedbom23,thecovermaybe held in various vtilatlngpositions. as for exampleshown inFigure3; thecoverbeingraisedtothedesireddegreeandoneofthebossesof.

into closedposition without manipulation of the lever as the arcuatetooth 21 will hold the cover the lever brought to register with theupper openingsinbracket llandtheshortlegofthe U-pln passed through theregistering holes.

With the arrangement shown and described,

the cover-bracket l3 and the sealing or U-pin constitute aunit whichprevents loss or displacement of the'sealingp n nd permitsthepintoboused for locking the cover in any adjusted position. Then, too. with myimproved structure it is apparent that accidental dropping of theclosure into complete closing position, where the plug wouldblwedgeitself in the beveled opening, is impossi e. e

The exempliilcation of the invention is believed to be its bestembodiment and I, have described it in terms used for purposes ofdescription and not as terms or limitation, as structural modificationsmay be possible without, however, departing from the spirit of myinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A hatch cover controlling device comprising, in combination with ahatch cover hingedly secured at one end, a bracket secured on top and atthe opposite end of the cover and provided with a rack portion disposedvertically beyond the end and beneath the top of the cover; and a leverpivotally secured adjacent to the free end of the hatch cover so as toswing vertically onto the hatch cover when the latter is in closedposition, the pivoted end of the lever having a segmental gear adaptedto mesh with the rack POT-7 tion of said cover-bracket and provided witha rearwardly curved stop and guide projection adapted to extend into thepath of and beneath said rack portion when the lever is moved intocomplete open position and thereby support the cover in unseatedposition.

2. A hatch cover controlling device comprising, in combination with ahatch cover hingedly secured at one end to swing vertically, a bracketfixedly secured to the free end of the cover, the bracket having a pairof spaced apart lobes terminating in vertically disposed rack formingportions adapted to extend beneath the top of the cover, a leverpivotally secured adjacent the free end of the hatch cover so as toswing vertically and transversely of the cover when in closed position,said lever being adapted to pass between the spaced lobes of thebracket, and pinion forming means secured to the pivoted end of saidlever and normally meshing with both rack forming portions of thebracket, said pinion also having an extended and rearwardly curved toothadapted to extend beneath the rack portions and to hold the cover inpartially raised, unseated position.

3. A hatch cover controlling device comprising, in combination with ahatch cover hingedly secured at one end to swing vertically, alockingpin carrying bracket secured to the opposite free end 01' thecover and provided with a vertically disposed rack forming portiondisposed beyond the end of the cover and extending vertically beneaththe top or the cover, a lever pivotally secured at one end so as toswing vertically and transversely of the cover when in closed position,and a segmental pinion arranged at the pivoted end of the lever so as tomesh with said rack portion of the bracket when the cover is in closedposition and to rotate when the lever is oscillated, with one tooth ofthe segmental pinion being curved rearwardly and adapted to extend intothe path of said rack portion when the cover has been lifted and thelever swung to complete open position, said curved tooth engagingbeneath the rack forming portion to support the hatch cover in unseatedposition.

4. A hatch cover controlling device comprising, in combination with ahatchcover hingedly secured at one end to swing vertically, a verticallydisposed rack secured at the free end or the cover so as to extendbeyond the cover, a lever pivotally secured adjacent the free end of thecover so as to swing vertically across the cover when the latter isclosed, a segmental pinion secured at the pivoted end of the lever andmovable with the lever, said segmental pinion meshing with the rack whenthe cover is in closed position so as to force the latter upwardly whenthe lever is swung upwardly away from the cover, and 'an arcuate membersecured to said pinion and normally disposed beneath the pivotal pointof the lever when the pinion is in mesh with the rack and to move into aplane above the pivotal point and in the path of said rack when thepinion has been moved outof mesh with the rack and to support the coverin unseated position. 7

VICTOR. H. HARBERT.

